A100 PCIe 80GB vs RTX A5000

AmperevsAmpereUpdated 35 days ago

The A100 PCIe 80GB emerges as the winner for primary AI training and inference use cases, driven by 312 TFLOPS FP16, 80 GB VRAM, and 2039 GB/s bandwidth that handle large models infeasible on RTX A5000's 24 GB and 27.8 TFLOPS despite its cost advantage.

A100 PCIe 80GB from $0.73/hrRTX A5000 from $0.23/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA100RTX-A5000
TDP400W230W
VRAM40-80 GB24 GB
CUDA Cores6,9128,192
Memory TypeHBM2eGDDR6
ArchitectureAmpereAmpere
Form FactorsSXM4, PCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBandNVLink
Tensor Cores432256
FP16 Performance312 TFLOPS27.8 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance19.5 TFLOPS27.8 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance9.7 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance624 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth2,039 GB/s768 GB/s

Performance Analysis

FP16 performance defines the core disparity: A100 achieves 312 TFLOPS while RTX A5000 reaches 27.8 TFLOPS, accelerating mixed-precision training and inference by over 11 times on A100 for deep learning models. A100 FP32 sits at 19.5 TFLOPS against RTX A5000's 27.8 TFLOPS, making RTX A5000 competitive for FP32-dominant simulations but irrelevant for tensor-heavy AI. Memory bandwidth of 2039 GB/s on A100 versus 768 GB/s enables much larger batch sizes, reducing training iterations and memory swapping in large language models. The 80 GB VRAM capacity on A100 supports models exceeding 24 GB on RTX A5000, critical for modern LLMs during inference without multi-GPU setups. These specs translate to A100 handling enterprise-scale workloads where RTX A5000 fits smaller prototypes.

Live Cloud Pricing

Real-time prices from 25+ providers. Updated every 60 seconds.

A100 PCIe 80GB

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$0.73/GPU/hr
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
2×NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$0.73/GPU/hr
$1.47/hr total (2×)
Available
LeaderGPU
LeaderGPU
8×NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80GB
80GB VRAM
$0.90/GPU/hr
$7.20/hr total (8×)
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.00/GPU/hr
Available
Denvr
Denvr
4×NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.15/GPU/hr
$4.60/hr total (4×)

RTX A5000

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
4×NVIDIA RTX A5000
24GB VRAM
$0.23/GPU/hr
$0.92/hr total (4×)
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA RTX A5000
24GB VRAM
$0.24/GPU/hr
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA RTX A5000
24GB VRAM
$0.27/GPU/hr
Available
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA RTX A5000
24GB VRAM
$0.27/GPU/hr
Cirrascale
Cirrascale
8×NVIDIA RTX A5000
24GB VRAM
$0.41/GPU/hr
$3.28/hr total (8×)

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the A100 PCIe 80GB

The A100 PCIe 80GB stands out for large-scale LLM training and scientific computing needing 80 GB VRAM and 2039 GB/s bandwidth to process massive datasets without fragmentation. It excels in multi-node clusters via NVLink and InfiniBand, where 312 TFLOPS FP16 cuts training time significantly compared to RTX A5000's limits.

When to Choose the RTX A5000

The RTX A5000 fits budget-conscious fine-tuning and Stable Diffusion tasks with 24 GB VRAM sufficient for models under that threshold and pricing from $0.03/hr. Its 230W TDP and 27.8 TFLOPS FP32/FP16 balance suit edge inference or development workstations avoiding A100's 400W draw and $2.06/hr average cost.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A100 PCIe 80GB

A100's 80 GB HBM2e VRAM and 312 TFLOPS FP16 support massive models and large batches unavailable on RTX A5000's 24 GB GDDR6.

LLM Inference
A100 PCIe 80GB

2039 GB/s bandwidth and 80 GB VRAM enable high-throughput serving of large LLMs; RTX A5000's 768 GB/s limits scale.

Fine-tuning
RTX A5000

RTX A5000's 27.8 TFLOPS FP16/FP32 and $0.03/hr pricing suffice for models under 24 GB, offering cost savings over A100.

Stable Diffusion
RTX A5000

24 GB VRAM handles image generation workflows efficiently at 230W TDP; A100's capacity exceeds typical needs.

Scientific Computing
A100 PCIe 80GB

A100's 312 TFLOPS FP16 and high interconnects accelerate simulations; RTX A5000's lower bandwidth bottlenecks complex datasets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which GPU has more VRAM?

NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80GB provides 80 GB HBM2e VRAM, far exceeding RTX A5000's 24 GB GDDR6. This allows A100 to load larger AI models without splitting across GPUs.

What is the FP16 performance difference?

A100 delivers 312 TFLOPS FP16 versus 27.8 TFLOPS on RTX A5000. The gap accelerates deep learning training by over 11x on A100.

How do cloud prices compare?

A100 PCIe 80GB starts at $0.89/hr with $2.06/hr average across 29 offers; RTX A5000 at $0.03/hr average $0.44/hr across 32 offers. RTX A5000 offers better value for lighter tasks.

Which has higher memory bandwidth?

A100 achieves 2039 GB/s compared to RTX A5000's 768 GB/s. Higher bandwidth on A100 supports bigger batch sizes in training.

What are the TDP ratings?

A100 requires 400W TDP while RTX A5000 uses 230W. Lower TDP makes RTX A5000 preferable for power-constrained setups.

Do both support NVLink?

Both GPUs support NVLink interconnects alongside PCIe 4.0. A100 adds InfiniBand for datacenter scaling.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the RTX A5000?

Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and RTX A5000 vary by provider, configuration, and availability. This page shows live pricing from 25+ providers updated every 60 seconds. Scroll to the Live Cloud Pricing section to compare current rates.

How much VRAM does the A100 have compared to the RTX A5000?

The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The RTX A5000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find A100 and RTX A5000 GPUs available to rent right now?

Yes. This page shows real-time availability across 25+ cloud GPU providers. The Live Cloud Pricing section displays only in-stock offers with current pricing.

What is the main difference between the A100 and the RTX A5000?

The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX A5000 uses Ampere (2021). The A100 delivers 11.2x the FP16 throughput and 2.7x the memory bandwidth of the RTX A5000.